The Hunters
by Starfire072302
Summary: One winter night, a gruesome beast attacks Ochako in her home. She barely escapes with her life after being rescued by a boy with messy green hair, but not without a price. She's marked by this creature, and now she's fully exposed to sinister forces. And Izuku is the only one who can help her. (IzuChako)
1. The Crawler

**_So I've been obsessed with My Hero Academia for a good while now, and this is a thing I just thought I'd write. I'm not abandoning Hangman's Forest, don't worry. This is just kind of a thing to get my groove back. I dunno, it'll probably go on longer than five chapters knowing me, so here we go. Buckle up, friends. This is gonna be full of supernatural-esque stuff and Monster Hunters. Let's do this._**

 ** _Of course, this will be IzuChako._**

 ** _Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia._**

* * *

There was something on the stairs.

No, not a shoe or a book, not typical things that one leaves on the stairs. Something else. Something sinister. To Ochako, this night felt off. It wasn't the boring, homework and takeout filled nights she was used to while living alone. Well, mostly alone. Her parents went on business trips most of the year, and now was one such time. This night was darker, more quiet, even with the gentle hum of her air conditioner filling her room. The winter chill was seeping into Ochako's bones, even when she was curled beneath her goose down comforter like a caterpillar in a cocoon, nothing showing but her face. No matter how many blankets she piled onto her body, the dull chill remained, accompanied by a sickening sense of dread. Ochako didn't want to get out of bed. A sense of foreboding was heavy in the chilly air, and Ochako attempted to burrow deeper into her blanket.

She really didn't want to get out of bed. That felt like an awful idea. But the open bedroom door gave view of the hallway, the stairs directly across the hall. And from her elevated position on the bed, Ochako could see something there. It was a shape. It was much too big to be something normal, like her backpack or a pair of shoes. But it was too small to be human. Maybe she was being irrational. Maybe it was her backpack, just with something on it. But for some reason, whatever this was activated her fight or flight instincts. And she couldn't being herself to roll over and not be facing it. It sat at the top of the stairs, peeking over the top step, the light coming from the nightlight Ochako had in her room not reaching far enough to unveil this object swallowed by the dark.

Ochako shifted closer to the wall. Any way to get farther away from whatever the hell this thing was was the best thing to do in her opinion. Ochako figured she'd try and get some sleep. Maybe it would be gone in the morning. Or maybe it really was her backpack. She made a mental note not to put things at the top of the stairs so they wouldn't scare her at night like this. Ochako sighed, rational thoughts beginning to fill her brain. It was definitely her backpack. It _had_ to be. What else could it be, a monster? Unlikely.

"Nothing to be afraid of," she whispered, sighing.

She needed to look and see what it was. Ochako still didn't turn away, but she shifted her eyes to another part of the room, looking down at the floor. Her school shoes lay by the foot of her bed, her uniform hanging on a hook in her closet. She could make out the stripes on the collar of the blazer in the dark, and the girl sighed, looking back at the door.

 _Oh my god did it move?_

Ochako felt her mouth go dry as she realized the thing at the top of the stairs had moved about a foot to the right. Whatever that was, it wasn't her backpack. It had to be an animal that had gotten inside. That was the only reasonable thing it could be. Had the bag fallen over? No, Ochako would have heard it fall. It was full of textbooks. And there was nothing to knock said bag over. Alarm bells were going wild in her head, and Ochako looked around the room for something she could use as a weapon if this thing jumped on her. Her eyes fell on the drawer of the night stand, which she slid open. A small pocket knife among other miscellaneous objects sat inside, and Ochako thanked whatever god there was before she snatched it into her blanket cocoon.

She needed to know what she was facing. Ochako swallowed thickly, griping the pocket knife tightly. Maybe she could use her phone flashlight? Ochako reached towards her nightstand again, her arm feeling very exposed for some reason. She unplugged the device quickly, pulling it into her blankets. She unfolded the knife to make herself feel safer as she switched on the flashlight, the beam of light illuminating what sat at the top of the stairs.

What... what _was_ that?

That was no animal Ochako had ever seen. It was pale with eyes like little black beetles, and two hands with long, dirty claws came to curl around the top of the step. All Ochako could see was the head and hands, the head slim and completely hairless, fingers much too long to be normal. It had small holes on either side of its head serving as what Ochako assumed were ears. The mouth was full of teeth that were much too long and sharp to fit in its mouth comfortably, and it was stretched into a wide, menacing grin. The teeth were stained with a muted red color, and Ochako knew she didn't want to know what the substance causing the color was.

This was no animal. This wasn't even human. This thing was something from a nightmare. As Ochako stared at it, frozen like a deer in the headlights, the creature cocked its head almost quizzically at her.

"What the hell," Ochako breathed, voice nearly inaudible, "what is that?"

Ochako had to get out of here. That thing would kill her. Her bedroom was on the second floor, and that _thing_ was blocking the way downstairs. Her only option was the window. Which she'd locked before going to bed. Shit. Ochako yanked her bathrobe and bra from the headboard of her bed, hurriedly hooking the bra on under her shirt, tugging the thin robe around her body. Now, time to run and launch herself out the window.

The second Ochako pulled the blankets back, the cold hit her body, raking spindly fingers across her senses. And the creature began to rise. Ochako made a terrified squeak as adrenaline pumped through her system, hands fumbling with the lock to the window. The thing was in the room now. It was a good six and a half feet tall, its malicious grin never faltering as it walked towards her at a pace just quick enough to cause horrified tears to fill her eyes. Ochako gasped in relief as the lock to the window clicked, and she flung open the window, looking down. The snow-covered bushes awaited her at the bottom, and Ochako knew that without any leaves, this would hurt quite a bit. But if she stayed here, she'd die, and she didn't want to risk running around the creature and getting caught in an attempt to reach the front door. So the window, as painful as her landing may be, would have to do.

Ochako closed her eyes and leapt from the windowsill, unable to scream as the frigid winter air stole her breath from her lungs as she fell. She fell with a tremendous crash into the bush, the bare branches and snow doing nothing to take her weight. Her robe had blown back as she fell, and a branch dug into her side, sending a jolt of pain through her body. Ochako saw the thing looking down at her over the windowsill, and she scurried out of the bush, wincing as her sock covered feet made contact with the snow. The thing was jumping down after her with an inhuman grace, long, spindly limbs stretching towards the bush for impact. Ochako began to feet slammed into the frozen ground painfully, quickly growing numb as the chill traveled up her body. Her breath came in bursts of mist, surrounding her face as she ran. She still gripped her phone and the pocket knife in her hands, knuckles white.

She was running too hard to scream, and everything seemed to morph into slow motion when her foot came into contact with a patch of ice, sending her catapulting into the air to land hard on her stomach. The pocket knife few from her hand to skid across the sidewalk, and Ochako grunted as she attempted to stand up. She struggled to her feet, grabbing for the pocket knife as she tried to run again, scooping it into numb hands. A stinging pain shot form the back of her neck, and Ochako gasped. What had touched her?

 _Oh god, I'm gonna die._

Ochako gasped, the thin, cold air doing little to fill her aching lungs. How was she going to get away? Ochako didn't want to trip again as she looked at the sidewalk, her cat print socks doing little to protect her feet as she ran.

Then, suddenly, a tremendous _bang_ tore through the air, and when Ochako looked up to find the source of it, a young man was standing about ten feet away from her. She kept running at full speed, slamming into the boy's chest, causing him to stagger back.

He shoved her behind him, and Ochako fell painfully on the ground. The young man squared his feet as he aimed the pistol again at the thing, which now had a bullet hole in its left shoulder. It screeched in pain, and another bullet was fired, and another. His reload speed was quick as lightning as he shoved another magazine into the pistol, this time the bullet hitting the creature square in the forehead. It screeched and flailed, long limbs tangling together as it fell unceremoniously into a heap, crumbling into dust.

Ochako felt the shock of the situation begin to ram into her mind, and she began to whimper. What the hell was that thing? Who is this guy? She had to call the police, right? Ochako tried to stand up, staggering as the boy shoved the gun into a holster in his belt. Ochako was freezing and terrified as she felt sobs rising in her throat.

"Whoa," he said, steadying her, "calm down, it's dead."

Ochako began to sob, the tears hot on her cold cheeks.

"What the hell was that thing? Who are you?" Ochako choked, allowing herself to be pulled against his chest. His hands were covered by gloves, much better dressed for this kind of weather, a wool coat paired with a plaid scarf keeping him warm. He was reasonably handsome, a shock of messy green hair on his head. His eyes matched his hair, their color a bit darker and reminding Ochako of a forest. A spray of freckles formed a bridge across his nose.

"My name is Izuku. And that," he gestured to the spot it once stood, now a pile of ash in its place, "was a crawler."

"What?" Ochako breathed, "what the hell is a crawler?"

Izuku shook his head, "no time to explain. We have to get out of here. This thing has been following you. And there are more of them."

For the first time, it seemed, Izuku noticed Ochako's state of dress.

"You must be freezing," his tone was worried as he slid off his gloved and unwound his scarf, giving them to her. Ochako shook her head, holding up a hand.

"I can't take that from you. I just wanna go to bed."

Izuku's expression was grim as he looked back at her dark house. "You can't go back there right now."

"Why?"

"Because if theres one of them, there's more." Izuku took Ochako's hands in his much larger ones, slipping his gloves over hers. The scarf came next.

"We can't have you walking around without shoes. You'll get frost bite." He unceremoniously picked her up with relative ease, beginning to walk. The ice crunched under his boots, and Ochako curled her feet against his body in attempt to get warmth.

"What's your name," he asked, glancing down at her.

"Ocahko. How did you find me?" Ochako asked quietly, and Izuku didn't answer for a few seconds.

"I've been tracking this pack of crawlers for a few weeks now, and the last known death of unnatural circumstances was only about half an hour from here. I searched the surrounding areas, found nothing. So I came here."

Ochako blinked. "Pack? What?"

"A pack of them." He went silent. "You didn't get pricked, did you?"

Ochako's eyes widened. "Yeah. Back of my neck."

Izuku's expression was grim. "You've been marked. It's worse than I thought. I'm sorry Ochako, but you have to come with me until we can get rid of that mark."

Ochako's face went white. "Marked?"

The boy looked dwon at her, eyes sympathetic. "Once you've been marked, you become a beacon for the stuff like this. You're a walking meal to things like crawlers."

And that was when Ochako realized that she was in _way_ over her head.

* * *

 _ **I'M IN LOVE WITH THIS.**_

 ** _If any of you have ideas to progress the story, send me a message or write a review! Thanks so much for reading the first chapter, and stay tuned!_**

 ** _~Starry_**


	2. The Mansion

**_So this has been pretty damn fun to write so far. So I'm gonna continue it. Let's do this._**

 ** _And I have so many ideas._**

 ** _Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia_**

* * *

Ochako was carried to a car, the exhaust fumes coming from the tailpipe signaling that the car was running. Izuku must not have been here for very long when the crawler attacked, and Ochako realized with a start that she was lucky he had been there when he was. Or she'd be dead. She couldn't even begin to imagine how much pain that thing would cause her if it had actually caught her. She shuddered.

"It should be nice and warm in there, Ochako," Izuku opened the door, setting the girl in his arms down on the street, "get on in."

The girl slid into the passenger's seat, the car's heating thawing her frozen nerves. She shivered, the heat sinking in. Then, she realized she was bleeding. Ochako reached down to her side, fingers coming back up coated in red. Oh, right. She'd fallen in the bush in her escape from the creature. Now she remembered. It began to sting, and when Izuku was in the driver's seat, he looked at her quizzically.

"You alright?" He asked, and Ochako lifted her shirt to reveal the cut.

Izuku's eyebrows knit together, and he inclined his head to get a better view. "How did you get that? Did the crawler get you there?"

Ochako shook her head. "When I was running from it, I had to jump out the second story window of my house to get away. I landed in a bush and this happened."

Izuku leaned over the middle of the seats to rummage through the backseat, swearing colorfully when he jarred his elbow on the side of the seat. He emerged with somehow messier hair and handed Ochako a roll of bandages. "Put this on. Wrap your waist. Yaoyorozu will treat you properly when we get to the house."

"Who?" The female asked, and Izuku ignored her, pushing the car into drive.

"Just wrap the bandages. I'll try my best to explain as much as I can."

Ochako unfurled the bandage to wrap her wound, the pressure from the bandages slightly painful, but the stinging was lessening. She realized with a jolt that she'd been marked, or whatever Izuku had called it. Her hand went to the back of her neck, and when fingers met flesh, stinging pain blossomed. Izuku reached out and gently tugged her hand away from the cut, his eyes worried.

"Don't touch that. Marks get easily infected. And we don't know how bad it is yet."

Ochako blushed as she held the offending hand to her chest.

"So," she said, looking out the window, watching as her neighborhood passed, "explain."

"What do you want me to explain?" Izuku asked.

"Crawlers. What are they?"

Izuku unbuttoned his jacket, shrugging it off and draping it over Ochako's lap. She tugged it to her chest, reveling in the leftover body heat.

"We don't really know what crawlers are. They travel in packs, or more rarely, alone. They have other names, the Rake being one of them. They're sometimes mistaken for Wendigo. They might have once been human, we don't know. We don't know much about them at all other than the fact that they eat meat, preferably human, and that they travel in packs. And the one that was following you was the leader of one."

Ochako blinked. "How do you know it was the leader?"

Izuku glanced at the rear-view mirror, then at her. "It was bigger than a normal crawler. Normal crawlers are only around six foot. That one was almost seven feet tall."

Ochako looked out the window, trees covered in snow now in view instead of houses. "That's all you know?"

Izuku nodded, "I'm sorry I don't know more." And he did look sorry, empathy in his gentle eyes. The girl managed a smile, looking back out the window.

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere safe."

"How old are you?"

Izuku chuckled, "I'm seventeen."

He was so _young_. Only a year older than her. Ochako gripped the coat, the wool fibers rough against her warming hands. She rested her head against the window, watching the trees go by. What had she gotten herself into? Everything that had just happened felt like it happened to someone else. Like she had watched someone else's nightmare. It couldn't have been real. Yet here she sat, in this boy's car, driving to an unknown location after this ungodly thing had attacked her. The stinging mark on the back of her neck was a grim reminder that what had happened not long before was no illusion.

"Do you need to call your parents?" Izuku said, breaking the silence.

"No," Ochako said, voice flat, "they're gone on business trips most of the year, I doubt they'd even notice I was gone."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

She shrugged halfheartedly. The adrenaline was beginning to deplete itself from her system, and exhaustion was hitting her hard. Ochako closed her eyes, allowing the warm vehicle to surround her like a blanket.

"Tired," Ochako murmured, and she heard Izuku chuckle.

"Sleep then. It's a bit of a drive. I'll wake you when we're there."

Nothing else was needed to be said as Ochako drifted into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Ochako was jostled awake by Izuku, and she looked with bleary eyes out the window.

"We're here. We gotta get inside and get you treated for that cut on your side," Izuku said, and Ochako raised a hand to rub at her eye, jolting when her face touched the smooth leather of the glove Izuku had put on her hand. She abandoned trying to rub at her face, handing Izuku his coat.

"No," he said, "you keep that. You're only wearing a bathrobe. We'll get you something warmer when we get inside. I think Asui or Ashido are roughly the same size as you."

Ochako looked out the window again, finally registering the large house looming before them. It was built from worn bricks, and towers soared over their heads, lightning rods and intricate roofs crowning their tops. It was an elegant building, well manicured with wide windows, some had curtains drawn, others open, revealing the warm colors inside.

"What is this place?" Ochako whispered, and Izuku thought for a moment.

"Headquarters, I guess. Let's go inside."

The second the car was off and the heat began to recede, Ochako shivered. She exited the car, wincing at the frozen, snowy ground chilling her barely covered feet. She did an awkward hop to the house's large doors, trying to avoid stepping on the ground with the the complete soles of her feet.

Izuku hurried beside her, fishing a key from the pocket of his trousers, unlocking the door.

The entrance room was all warm colors and bright light. The room had a staircases on either side of the room, two sets of sets of large doors were on either side of the room. In the middle of the floor was an intricate red carpet. Ochako wanted to lay down on the plush carpet and stay there.

"Yaoyorozu!" Izuku called, "I'm back! I brought someone! She's been hurt!"

Hurried footsteps could be heard somewhere, and a pair of doors to the left of them swung open, a young woman emerging.

She was tall and buxom, clad in a deep red sweater and a pair of dark jeans. Her feet were bare, save for the glittery pink polish on her toenails. Her black hair was pulled back into a spiky ponytail, one flick of hair brushing past her right eye. Her eyes were dark and slender, reminding Ochako of a cat's eyes.

The girl, presumably Yaoyorozu, gave Ochako a once over, her gaze turning to Izuku.

"She's covered in scratches! What the hell happened?"

Izuku smiled sheepishly. "She fell out a window. That part I didn't see, but she told me. She has a nasty cut on her side that needs treating. And she's been marked."

"By what?"

"Crawler," Izuku said, pressing his lips together.

"Izuku, go tell Aizawa you eliminated the crawler. You, come with me."

Izuku grabbed Yaoyorozu's wrist as she began to walk away, Ochako following. "Please tell me about the mark when you examine it. And there are more crawlers. I only eliminated one. I had to get Ochako out of there before she was killed."

"Then tell Aizawa you need someone to go eliminate the rest. Go, I'll take care of her."

Izuku bowed politely before going upstairs at a hurried clip.

Finally, Yaoyorozu looked down at Ochako, her gaze softening. "Let's get you treated."

Ochako smiled gratefully, following Yaoyorozu into the room she exited earlier.

* * *

 _ **HEY HEY! This is new! This is the first time in a while where I know what I want to put in chapter 3. YUH.**_

 ** _Anyway, that should be up soon, so stay tuned!_**

 ** _~Starry_**


	3. The Infirmary

_**Time for more of this!**_

 _ **(Heavy swearing ahead because Bakugou.)**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own My hero Academia.**_

* * *

Ochako was lead to a makeshift infirmary, the wooden bookshelves stacked with medical supplies and various knickknacks. It had paisley wallpaper and dark wood floors, a lamp lighting the room yellow. The room was neat enough, two narrow beds against the left wall, each with a bedside table containing a small lamp. On one of the tables was a half eaten croissant, which made Ochako's stomach grumble. On the wall across from the door was a window, the curtains drawn. A clock on the wall read 4:25 AM.

As they entered the room, Ochako caught sight of herself in the mirror. Her hair was a rat's nest, locks of it standing up at a rakish angle. Her eyes looked wild and terrified. There was a scratch on her cheek, and various tears in her shirt from her tumble into the bush.

"I look insane," she observed, and Yaoyorozu laughed.

"You've been through a hell of a lot. I'd be worried if you looked completely put together."

Ochako managed a smile at that.

Yaoyorozu led her to one of the beds, the sheets pristine white, pillowcase without wrinkles.

"Sit," she commanded, and Ochako did. It felt nice to sit on something soft. Her exhaustion was beginning to catch up with her.

Yaoyorozu approached a chest of drawers next to one of the bookshelves, withdrawing a first-aid kit. She then washed her hands in a small sink. On her way back over to the bed Ochako sat on, Yaoyorozu picked up a wooden chair from a desk at the far side of the room, placing it beside the bed and setting the first-air kit beside the wounded girl.

"You'll need to take off your shirt," Yaoyorozu said casually, and Ochako blinked slightly in surprise.

"Y-yeah, okay."

She pulled the fabric above her head, setting it on the bed beside her. She wasn't surprised to find the side where the cut was stained with blood. Yaoyorozu looked quizzically at Ochako's bra.

"You're wearing pajamas. Did you wear a bra to bed?"

Ochako laughed a little bit. "No. I just hate running without a bra, so I put one on. I find it kind of silly that I did that when running for my life."

Yaoyorozu gave her a smile before unwinding the bandage around her waist, opening the first-aid kit. She produced a clean cloth, and went to douse it in warm water from the sink. As soon as that was done, she began to clean the cut, wiping the blood away. The cloth felt rough against her tender skin, and she bit her lip. Next came the antiseptic, which stung when applied to the cut. Ochako gasped a little bit, and Yaoyorozu muttered an apology as she removed the cloth.

The wound had went from an angry red to a less angry pinkish shade. Yaoyorozu made sure the bleeding had stopped before applying a few butterfly bandages on the deeper parts, then rewrapped her side, as the cut was too large for a regular bandage.

"Thanks," Ochako said, and Yaoyorozu nodded.

"Medical work is my specialty. Now turn around, let's see this mark."

Ochako complied, shifting so she sat on her knees, back to the other girl.

She heard Yaoyorozu stand up behind her, then a gasp. "Oh, my god."

"What?" Ochako attempted to turn her head to look at Yaoyorozu, but the latter pushed her head back so it was in the original position.

"N-nothing," her voice shook, "just a bit deeper than I thought it was."

For some reason, Ochako didn't believe her, even as she put a small bandage over the cut after applying Neosporin to it.

"Stay here," Yaoyorozu said, "I'll go get you some clean clothes."

Ochako looked at the floor, wrapping her arms around herself. This was absolute chaos. One moment she was someone completely average, someone with school tomorrow. She'd see her friends, then repeat the entire thing the next day. When had her life become _this?_

The door opened, and Ochako looked up, expecting Yaoyorozu. That wasn't who it was. It was a young man with some of the most unruly blonde hair she'd ever seen. It seemed to stick in all directions. He had a stoic face, one that looked almost like it would look permanently pissed off whatever expression he made. His eyes were shockingly scarlet. Despite the severity of his features, he was handsome. He was wearing a black tank top, revealing his toned arm muscles and a pair of jeans. Bandages were wrapped around his left hand.

That was when Ochako realized she was alone, in a room with a very attractive guy dressed in nothing but her pajama pants and a bra. Blood rushed to her face as she wrapped her arms more tightly around her torso.

The guy looked surprised regarding her presence in the room, and he stared at her blankly for a few moments before speaking.

"Who the hell are you?" His voice was low and gruff, and Ochako managed a nervous smile.

"I'm Ochako," she said, looking anywhere but at him.

"Why are you in here?"

Ochako gestured to the bandages at her side.

"Well, yeah, I can see that, I'm not a fucking idiot. Why are you in the house?"

Ochako breifly summarized the night's events, or she began to, because the guy interrupted her.

"I don't give a damn about your life's story, round face. But I get it, you got attacked by a crawler, and now you're here. I hate those sons of bitches."

Ochako blinked. She could see why.

Yaoyorozu entered the room after a few more seconds of awkward silence, glancing from the newcomer to Ochako.

"Bakugou. Did you come for the pain killers?"

Bakugou grunted in assent as he picked up a small bottle, dumping a pill from inside into his palm. He dry swallowed it and left without another word.

"What happened to his hand," Ochako asked dumbly, and Yaoyorozu smiled, handing her a bundle of clean smelling clothes.

"He broke a bone in the back of his hand when he went up against a wendigo. It's miraculous he survived, let alone killed it. Here, change. I'll turn around."

Ochako shed her torn pajama pants, replacing them with the pink fleece heart patterned ones she had been given. The shirt had a picture of a frog on it. They were comfortable. To complete it, she removed her dirty socks.

"I'm decent," she said, and Yaoyorozu turned around.

Ochako was so tired. She slumped back on the infirmary bed. Adrenaline sure took a lot out of her.

"Come on, let's get you to the guest room." Yaoyarozu said, and in Ochako's tired state, her voice sounded very far away.

Ochako stood up with a bit of effort, following the other girl drowsily out of the room and up the stairs. She was led to a room with a large bed, the comforter plush purple and piled in pillows. A dresser and vanity were against opposite walls from each other, a door leading to what Ochako assumed was a bathroom to the right. A blanket chest was at the foot of the bed. The wallpaper was eggshell colored, the floors dark wood.

"Can I sleep?" Ochako asked, gazing at the bed.

"You need your sleep. Go, now," Yaoyorozu commanded, and Ochako had no room to argue.

As soon as she was under the blankets, snuggled among the pillows, she drifted into sleep.

* * *

 _ **So newsflash, I'm also writing this as a Bakugou x reader over on my ao3 account, so go check that out if you wanna.**_

 _ **Stay tuned!**_

 _ **~Starry**_


	4. The Breakfast

_**Please don't hate me, but I will be using Mineta for comedic effect.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own My hero Academia**_

* * *

Ochako didn't know where she was.

This wasn't her room, these weren't her sheets, these weren't even her pajamas. Last night had to have been a dream, right? It was far too improbable. Horrifying monsters, jumping out of windows, gunshots. They all replayed through her head like a bad movie. Ochako closed her eyes, laying back in the plush bed, shifting to lay on her side. Except she couldn't. Because that was painful. Ochako bolted into a sitting position, pulling her shirt up to view what was hurting her.

Her side was bound with gauze, the faded matte red of dried blood coloring the otherwise pristine white cloth. It hadn't been a dream. This was real. She was in the house Izuku had taken her to after being chased by the crawler. Ochako slid out of the bed to exit the room, looking back at the bed. It was barely messed up, telling her that she'd slept quite soundly.

As Ochako exited the room with a yawn, her stomach gurgled impatiently. Hungry. She needed breakfast. But where the hell was the kitchen? The girl walked down the hall away from the bedroom, towards what she hoped was the staircase. Her stomach growled again, causing Ochako to sigh. She really needed food. Apparently, running from creatures took a lot from a person.

 _Where the hell was the kitchen?_

Ochako ended up at a dead end, said dead end being the end of the hallway. A large window seat piled with cushions was before her, revealing a view of the crowns of many evergreen trees. Just where was this house? Ochako sighed, stepping closer to the window. The house's position reminded Ochako of the castle in Dracula, as from what she could see from looking down through the window, the house was built on a cliff. The view was pleasant enough, if not a bit ominous. Mist rolled through the trees like translucent snakes, coiling and looping. The sky was like spilled watercolor, crushed oranges and golds mixing to form lavender clouds. This window seat would be a nice place to curl up with a book, Ochako thought. She made a mental note to come back later. But for now, her only mission was to find something to fill her empty stomach.

Turning from the spectacular view through the window, Ochako continued in the opposite direction down the hall.

...and bumped straight into someone.

Said person was much shorter than Ochako herself, maybe standing a whole head lower. It was a girl. She had large, very round eyes and a very wide mouth. Her features somehow reminded Ochako of a frog. She had long dark green hair, bangs falling between her eyes. It was tied at the bottom with a large ribbon. She had unusually large hands, and was dressed in a simple green nightgown.

"You're wearing my shirt," she said, expression largely unchanging, "are you Ochako?"

Ochako nodded. "Yeah, that's me. I'm Ochako Uraraka. Who are you?"

"Oh, me? My name is Tsuyu Asui. You can call me Tsu." She had a nasally voice.

"Okay," Ochako felt a bit more at ease with this girl, "do you know where the kitchen is? I'm starving."

The girl called Asui- sorry, Tsu- gestured for Ochako to follow her, leading her down the hall and to the stairs in a combination of turns that Ochako could never hope to remember.

"Through there you should find the kitchen," Tsu said, gesturing with a hand to a pair of doors on the first floor. Ochako noticed she had a habit of pressing a finger to her lips casually when she spoke, which she was doing right at the moment.

Ochako bowed politely, thanking her before going down to the kitchen.

She could hear voices inside, one quite angry. With a little caution, Ochako opened the door.

The kitchen was modern, all silver and shine, the countertops marble and smooth. At the island in the middle of the kitchen, Izuku sat with a plate of waffles, pouring syrup onto the food. He wasn't the source of the noise.

Off near the large table in the corner, Bakugou, the guy she'd met last night, was in an argument with someone. It appeared to one-sided, as the other was attempting to cool the angered person down.

Said guy had very red hair that shot straight up. He had angular features and strangely scarlet eyes, the right one having a small scar above it. He wore a pair of sweatpants and a loose grey shirt. When he threw his head back to laugh at something, Ochako noticed he had very sharp teeth.

"I didn't have to!" Bakugou was shouting as Ochako came in.

"Didn't have to? That's so unmanly, Bakugou, you gotta turn around when a lady is changing." Despite the red head's stern expression, there was mirth in his eyes. Bakugou growled indignantly.

Ochako went to the refrigerator, plucking a box of waffles from the freezer. She ripped open a package with her teeth before popping two of them into the toaster, then replacing the box in the freezer.

"She wasn't changing! She was just half naked, Kirishima!"

Kirishima put his hands up defensively, "whatever you say, but the right thing to do would have been turn around."

A scowl painted its way across Bakugou's features, but he turned away, instead beginning to wolf down his eggs.

For the first time since Ochako had entered the kitchen, Kirishima noticed her.

"Oh hey! Lady of the hour! Sorry for talking about you when you weren't here. That wasn't cool of us. So unmanly." His smile was easy, and Ochako found it easy to smile back.

"It's okay. I was so tired that I don't really remember much of last night." Ochako jumped when her waffles popped, plucking the scalding treats out of the toaster and dropping them onto a plate.

She sat down next to Izuku, who seemed rather invested in his food. He jumped when she sat down, smiling at her.

"Morning," he said, passing the syrup and the butter dish, "help yourself."

"Thanks," Ochako said, spreading a pad of butter onto her waffles, following it up with a generous helping of syrup.

The waffles were decent as far as Eggos go, and Ochako ate them quickly. Bakugou and Kirishima's argument had decreased to minor bickering, but Bakugou apparently had no inside voice.

"Did you sleep well?" Izuku said, and the girl looked at him.

"Like a log," she said between bites. Izuku smiled.

"Your wounds?"

"They're okay," Ochako said. When she was this hungry, waffles tasted amazing.

After finishing, Ochako put the sticky dish into the sink, the notion of what to wear for the day hitting her.

"Shit," she whispered, and Izuku gave her a quizzical look.

"I have nothing to wear for today. All of my clothing is back at my house."

"Oh, there are plenty of girls in the house who will let you borrow something," Kirishima piped up, "Ashido or Tsu might be your size. I think Yaoyorozu might be a bit too tall. Jirou would work. Just don't mention you need clothes to-"

"Did someone say girls?"

Someone entered the kitchen, and Ochako had to look down see them. It was a boy, or child? He was unusually short, and his purple hair was like some form of mohawk, but bunches of hair had been separated into balls. He had a protruding lower lip, and was dressed in a white t-shirt with a pair of jeans.

"-Mineta," Kirishima finished with a sigh.

To Ochako's dismay, the small newcomer's eyes went straight to her clothed chest.

"Who's this hottie?" He gushed, speeding over to Ochako and getting a tad too close. Ochako backed away, only to back against Izuku, who had stood up.

"Nobody has time for this this early in the morning, man," Kirishima said, and Ochako could hear a slight tinge of annoyance in his voice, "get lost."

"I'm not here for that," he explained, "I'm here to eat like the rest of you."

He looked at Ochako suggestively, which made her back up even farther into Izuku, causing him to stumble slightly.

"But the pretty girl is definitely a plus."

"I don't like him," Ochako whispered.

"Nobody does," replied Izuku.

After breakfast was finished, and Ochako had enough of Mineta, she went to go find Ashido. She figured she'd also ask Tsu, but on account of not knowing where either girl was, Ochako decided to stay in pajamas for a while longer until one of them popped up.

In the meantime, Ochako decided to go sit on that window seat upstairs. The view was nice, and she could watch the sun rise with ease.

That is, if it wasn't already occupied with someone.

* * *

 _ **Okay, so I apologize for the rushed ending, I didn't know how to wrap it up. So here it is!**_

 _ **I'll update shortly!**_

 _ **~Starry**_


	5. The Walk

_**Fun fact, the crawler scares me. And I created it. Just something about the smile and that it runs really fast kind of terrify me. Maybe the monsters I create in my stories are composed of things I fear.**_

 _ **Wow, this got deep fast.**_

 _ **Anyway, enjoy the story.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia**_

* * *

Ochako paused, blinking in surprise. The person who sat there had the most unusual hair she'd ever seen. The left half of his hair was bright red, the right half silver. Was that genetically possible? It had to be hair dye, right?

The person turned around, seeming equal as surprised at Ochako's sudden appearance. He was devastatingly handsome, all soft features and pretty eyes. His right eye was stormy grey, the other so blue it was almost teal. A burn scar painted the left half of his face. He was dressed in a white button down and dark jeans, feet bare. He was slender, but the exposed parts of his arms where his shirt sleeves were rolled up revealed toned skin and muscle.

"Oh," Ochako said, "hello."

The boy seemed perplexed at Ochako's sudden appearance, and he scrutinized her with his piercing stare.

"Who are you?" His voice was quieter than Ochako had expected.

"I'm Ochako," the girl said. She was beginning to wish she hadn't decided to come back here.

Before the boy could say anything else, a female voice came from behind Ochako.

"Oh, there she is! Tsu said you might get lost."

Ochako turned around, only to see yet another strange looking person.

This person was female, but that seemed to be the only normal feature about her. Her skin was colored rosy all over, and she had vibrant pink hair that stuck out in all directions. Her sclerae were completely black, the irises yellow. To top it all off, two horns sprouted on the top of her head. She wore a purple tank top and white shorts.

The girl laughed at Ochako's startled look. "Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you."

"What are you?" Ochako said before she could stop herself. The girl just smiled.

"She's a demon," came a voice from behind them. The pink girl pouted.

"Todoroki, let me do the big reveal. It's always so funny to see their faces."

"It isn't funny to draw things like that out, Ashido. Humans get scared of that sort of thing."

Ashido snorted. "Fine, be a buzzkill. Come on, Ochako, let's get you something to wear."

Before Ochako could protest, she was dragged away down the hall.

Ashido wasn't what Ochako would expect from a demon. She was certainly a talkative one, and seemed to be genuinely interested in the things Ochako had to say.

When they arrived in her bedroom, Ochako was taken aback.

The bedroom was all pastel shades and cutesy stuffed animals. The bed was wide, the frame painted a cheerful white. The bedspread was pastel pink, little white polka dots adorning the fabric of the comforter. Various fuzzy stuffed animals littered the bed. The desk off in the corner, painted the same white, had a laptop and various drawing utensils laid out on it. The laptop was open to a story website, a comment half written in the text box.

Ashido plopped Ochako down into an armchair as she disappeared into a walk-in closet.

She emerged seconds later with an arm full of various articles of clothing, setting them on the bed. Ochako blinked, crossing the room to examine the types of clothing.

"I've got to take you shopping. I'm sure Iida will go with you to get clothes from your house. Midorya told me what happened to you. Crawlers are the worst."

Ochako imagined the creature from the night before's eerie grin, and a tremor passed through her body. "They're awful."

Imagining what those enormous teeth could do to a person was unbearable. Ochako didn't like to think about it. But her mind kept flashing back to the frantic scramble to get away, and her mind felt fuzzy. Ashido's hand on her shoulder made Ochako look up, and she realized she'd been breathing quite heavily.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to trigger anything. I won't talk about it."

Ochako smiled gratefully.

"Now," Ashido chirped, "let's get you dressed."

The clothing laid out on the bed wasn't particularly Ochako's style. Very bright colors, the cuts on the tops rather low, tight jeans with rips, or skirts a little too short. Wanting to cover up the wound on her side, Ochako chose a red sweater with a lower cut and a pair of jeans.

"So," Ashido said, back turned to Ochako as she changed, "any boys you find attractive?"

Ochako almost choked on her own spit. When she recovered from the blunt question, the girl turned around with a bewildered expression. All the guys here seemed to be ridiculously attractive, minus Mineta. There was the ridiculously handsome and quiet Todoroki, or the chivalrous and sharp-toothed Kirishima. Katsuki Bakugou and his commanding air were certainly attractive, but a little scary to say the least.

Then there was Izuku.

Izuku was something. He wasn't the rugged or elegant handsome of Todoroki or Bakugou, but his warm smile and gentle hands made Ochako's heart flutter in her chest.

But of course, she'd never say that. Who knew who Ashido would tell? Ochako pursed her lips, fiddling with the hem of her borrowed sweater.

"Nobody, really," she smiled fakely, "I haven't gotten to know anyone yet."

"Liar," Ashido teased.

Ochako's face heated up. "Am not!"

"You can't lie to me, Ochako. I can tell when humans lie. Not human, remember?" The pink girl pointed to herself with a toothy grin. If Ochako looked closely, she could see that in place of her canine teeth were sharp fangs, glimmering almost in order to prove her point.

"So tell me," Ashido sat on the bed, eyes trained on Ochako, "who's the lucky guy?"

Shit.

"Um..."

"No use lying to me, I'll know."

"Fine. Izuku."

Ashido looked mildly surprised. "Him? Aw, he's a sweetheart. He's one of the most determined people ever, and if you want him, go get him. But he has trouble with big feelings, and he's sort of a crybaby."

"Oh," Ochako said, attempting to imagine the green haired boy with the fearless smile cowering. "He's incredible."

Ashido considered this. "Yeah, he is. He's got that going for him. He has one of the best analytical minds I've ever seen, and He's a goddamn monster on the battlefield with that mind of his. He's more driven to save people than anyone I've ever seen, though. But if you pursue him, go ahead. He'd never dream of hurting an innocent life, and he'd never hurt you."

Ochako gave Ashido a funny look. "How do you know all this?"

The girl only smiled. "Humans are so easy to read. He's no different."

Ochako blinked, unsure how to process this. "Um, thanks?"

"No problem! I can tell you anything you need to know about anyone here. We all come from different backgrounds, all have different stories. Some aren't mine to tell. Anyways!" Ashido clapped her hands together, "let's get you some shoes."

Ashido emerged from the closet again with a pair of brown boots and a pair of wool socks.

"Here, socks and shoes. You could go on a walk if you want! You can borrow my coat."

A walk sounded nice. Ochako tugged on the boots and socks, standing up. They fit decently, as well as someone else's shoes can fit. They would keep her feet warm.

"My coat is on the rack by the back door. We have a path through the woods."

After thanking Ashido for her help, Ochako made her way downstairs. The coat was where Ashido said it would be. It was a black peacoat, a white scarf with it. Ochako put the coat on, winding the scarf around her neck.

The day was crisp and snow-covered, and Ochako could see her breath puffing in front of her face as she walked. She tried not to think of the crawler, and how the same effect had happened as she ran. She could hear her own frantic pants echoing in her ears, and Ochako bit down hard on her lip, drawing blood, in order to snap herself out of the state.

"Stop thinking about it", she told herself.

The treeline was approaching, and the trees divided to allow a narrow path to snake through them. It was peaceful and quiet.

The snow crunched under Ochako's boots as she trod along the path, a light spring in her step. It was bitterly cold.

Ochako began to think about what Ashido had told her. "If you pursue him, be careful."

The female felt warm as she thought of the champagne haired male protecting her like last night. She wasn't all that used to attention, be it from people at school, her parents, or the male gender. Ochako chewed her lip as she walked, hands shoved deep into the pockets of her coat. Maybe Ashido was right. Maybe she was attracted to Bakugou. She hadn't seen his so-called 'rockin' bod' yet, but she could only imagine.

"Stop it," she hissed to herself.

This was all too much, happening much too fast. Creatures Ochako never knew existed were creeping out of the shadows with gnashing teeth and razor-sharp claws. Creatures with pools of ink for eyes, and vibrant pink skin. There was a secret world Ochako had been along the edges of all her life, never noticing. Now, she had nothing short of catapulted into it.

The path was well cared for, snow crunching underOchako's boots. Her nose soon became pink with cold. Evergreen trees mixed with skeletal maples bit into the morning sky with jagged teeth. The soft hues from before were beginning to bleed into blue, announcing the day's full arrival. Rabbits with their pale coats would appear to blend in with the snow, any bird that didn't fly to somewhere warmer hopping from branch to branch. Sluggish squirrels would lift their little noses from their hollows to take in the cold air.

But none of that was happening. No rabbits or squirrels, like one would normally see on a winter day. No fat ruby cardinals with their tiny black masks sitting on the branches, feathers ruffled and spread to keep their little bodies warm. There was just nothing. Ochako froze.

It was far too quiet. Of course, winter days are often quiet, but this was a macabre silence. Ochako did a three-sixty. It was much too still. A sense of dread began to fill Ochako's mind. Was she being paranoid after the crawler attack? Was she scared of meeting one of the slender creatures again? Undoubtedly. But there were no tracks to indicate anything other than the girl herself along the path, the only footprints being her own.

She didn't speak, didn't make that horror movie mistake by being the idiot to call out 'hello' when they thought they were alone.

Then, Ochako noticed it.

Blood. Droplets of it, staining the snow. It bloomed like tiny crimson petals across the pristine expanse of the powder, but from the sudden smell, sharp and metallic as Ochako lingered near the spot, she knew it was fresh. A sliver of fear made its way into her heart, and Ochako stepped back. There, in the back, crouched low, was a person. Or, not a person. It was too thin to be human, skin the color of the shadows themselves. It had white pinpricks for eyes, and fingers that ended in points. Its claws were coated in red, splattering the snow below. Its mouth was oval shaped, tiny, razor-sharp teeth inside.

Ochako stepped back, and the thing stepped forward. It would chase her. And from what Ochako had experienced the night before, she knew it would be fast.

Shit. Ochako didn't dare to move. But she knew she'd have to.

And without hesitating this time, she turned and ran.

Of course, the thing was after her. It bounded across the snowbanks like a giselle, crimson stained claws leaving pockmarks in the snow. Meanwhile, Ochako's boots left messy tracks as she scrambled for the door. She wasn't going to make it. It was going to kill her. If she stopped to open the door, the thing would be on top of her. She'd be toast.

But adrenaline is a hell of a drug. In a spur of the moment decision, Ochako slammed her body against the door, jarring her elbow in the process, and as the thing raised its claws to strike, Ochako kicked it in the exposed stomach as hard as she could. It flailed back into the snow with an unceremonious 'whump.' But as soon as it was down, it began to get back up again. Ochako flung the door open, skittering inside and slamming the door closed. An earsplitting wail could be heard outside, and footsteps came down the stairs. It was Izuku; a holster was thrown haphazardly around his hips. A pistol was in his hand.

"What the hell was that?" Ochako managed, breathless.

Izuku gently pushed her aside to look through the window on the door and came face to face with the creature. The door swung open, and before Ochako could breathe, a gunshot was heard, followed by another, and a scream so loud Ochako had to cover her ears.

"That was a Stalker," Izuku said unceremoniously as he closed the door. He helped Ochako up, green eyes worried. "Did it hurt you?"

"No. I'm okay. There are more types of creatures?"

Izuku smiled slightly, still not releasing Ochako's hand. "Yeah, there are plenty more. I think Iida has a book of them somewhere."

Ochako's face turned a little pink. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Saving me. Again."

Izuku's laugh was easy, and Ochako found herself smiling.

"It's no problem. I've gotta teach you how to shoot a pistol so you don't need saving so often."

"That..." Ochako looked at the wall, "that sounds nice."

"It's a deal then. Go get warmed up, drink a cup of tea. You're shaking like a leaf." Izuku gave Ochako one final smile as he retreated back up the stairs, leaving Ochako's face rosy pink.

And as Ochako shed her boots and Ashido's jacket, she thought the best thing for her right now would be a nice hot bath.

* * *

 _ **And I'm back in my groove! Yay! If anyone has any suggestions, feel free to give some!**_

 _ **~Starry**_


	6. The Meeting

_**Okay, I've gotten some pretty helpful advice, and yes, this will have a lot of explanation to light up the darker world that I've created. But I've been trying something where I don't introduce something until necessary. I'll stop with the filler shit, I've just had some writer's block lately. Anyway, let's get into this chapter that hopefully doesn't suck. And yes, there will be more Izuku, but I don't want to rush the romance.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own My hero Academia.**_

* * *

After Ochako's bath, she needed answers. So far, the odd bunch of people she'd bet in the morning she'd been here hadn't explained much, save for Ashido, who was a demon, and from what Ochako had been throgh, said demon made her quite uneasy. Izuku had mentioned something about someone named Iida, and in order to get answers, she needed to find him.

She toweled herself off, taking special care not to get any water on her cut before rewrapping it. The bath hadn't been very calming, as Ochako had to leave the water level rather low to avoid getting her wounds wet. She put back on the clothing Ashido had given her, then exited the bathroom to ask where she could find the infamous Iida.

Ochako found Izuku in the living room, sitting criss-cross on the sofa, the television switched on to some sitcom. He was writing in a battered journal, muttering under his breath.

"Izuku?" Ochako said, and said boy jumped slightly.

"Oh, hello. What do you need? You doing okay?"

Ochako flushed at his concern. "I'm alright. Don't worry about me. I just need to find Iida."

Izuku perked up, and Ochako found his enthusiasm to help rather adorable. "Oh, alright. I can take you to him. He spends most of his time in the library."

The boy stood up and gestured for Ochako to follow him, and she did. Again, like with Tsuyu, Izuku led her through a twist of hallways impossible to remember. This house was far too big.

The doors to the library were big and mahogany, and they opened with a great creak. The interior was just as grand, bookshelves climbing the walls of the enormous square room, staircases and ladders decorating the array of colors with mahogany tones. Tables and overstuffed armchairs and couches were scattered around the room, reading tables decorated by brass lamps with jade green shades in neat rows. A young man sat at the farthest table back, thick books and notebooks around him. As they approached, he didn't seem to notice, only glancing up when Izuku cleared his throat.

"Midoriya. What is it?" The person, presumably Iida said. He had neatly combed black hair and eyebrows that reminded Ochako of checkmarks. Glasses were low on his nose, and he had gray eyes. His jawline was very square, and his shoulders were broad and sturdy. Studiously, he wore a white button down tucked into a pair of black slacks with a belt. He wasn't wearing shoes, however, just a pair of plain white socks.

"Who's this?" Iida asked.

"Oh, this is Ochako Uraraka. I sort of rescued her last night from the pack of crawlers I was hunting."

The dark haired male shot up, his eyes stern. He approached Izuku, who looked a tad bashful as he approached. "You went alone? You could have been killed! Why didn't you bring Todoroki or Kirishima? You should have brought backup, Midoriya!"

While he scolded Izuku, his hands were stiff as boards, to Ochako's amusement. he certainly was a character.

"I'm sorry! I didn't want to inconvenience anyone, and I did ask Kacchan, but he told me to go fuck myself, so-"

"Why did you ask _him?_ He prefers to work alone. That was reckless, Midoriya, don't do it again."

Izuku sighed in defeat. "Sorry, Iida."

Iida sighed. "Just... I'm glad you aren't hurt. Anyway, why have you brought me this girl?"

"She needs answers about what she'd been roped into, and I think you're the best one to explain with Aizawa and All Might out on that job."

Iida pushed his glasses into place. He pulled out a chair at the table he'd been sitting at, gesturing for Ochako to sit, which she did. Izuku shifted his weight and glanced at the door, but Iida put up a hand.

"No, you aren't going anywhere. You got her into this, you're staying to help with this."

"I wasn't planning on leaving, Iida." Izuku took a seat beside Ochako, and Iida smiled, satisfied.

"I haven't formally introduced myself. My name is Tenya Iida. Pleased to meet you." He extended his hand for Ochako to shake, which she did, his firm grip startling her. Iida sat down in the chair he'd been in before, folding his hands on the table. "What do you want to know?"

"Um," Ochako said, "are ghosts real?"

Iida smiled slightly. "Yes. They're real. We have one in this house. You'll meet her eventually. She isn't hostile if not a bit mischievous."

"Is there anything else living in the house that isn't human?"

"Oh, plenty. Not all monsters are bad. Ashido is a demon, but she'd more impish than she is evil. Todoroki is a half demon-"

"Wait, he's a half demon?"

Iida cocked an eyebrow. "You didn't think his hair color was natural, did you?"

"I just thought it could be dye."

Iida chuckled. "No. His hair color is a symbol of his demonic parentage. His father, I believe."

"Oh," Ochako said.

"Furthermore, we have Tokoyami, who's a shadow creature, Koda, who's a Golem, and then there's Koji. We don't really know what he is, though he does look similar to a Hundred Handed One, or a 'Hecatoncheires' from Greek mythology, so there may be some of that in his blood."

"Vampires?" Ochako asked, letting the new information sink in.

"I haven't personally met one, but yes, they exist."

"Werewolves?"

"Yes, although I haven't met a werewolf either."

Ochako tried to think of more monsters. "Ghouls?"

"Yes, ghouls exist. They're sort of a pest."

Before Ochako could ask another question, Izuku spoke up. "Most creatures from myth or otherwise is a very real thing, Ochako. Ever heard the story of the Rake?"

Ochako thought back to late nights home alone reading creepypasta, thoughts of the thin pale man with the knife like fingers from the stories.

"Yeah, I have."

Izuku smiled. "The Rake story is an encounter of a crawler that's been more or less romanticized. Pack leaders can telepathically communicate with their pray, which explains why people said they heard the thing speak. But it's rarely intelligent, so that's why it was romanticized."

"You hit the nail on the head, Midoriya," Iida remarked.

"Wendigo, skinwalker, both are real and dangerous. But thankfully, they're quite rare in Japan. They are more commonly found in America. But we do have Fleshgaits and Goatmen. Steer clear of them. Bakugou broke his hand fighting a Wendigo, and we still have no idea how one managed to get to Japan. They're horrible creatures."

"Okay, that's all great," Ochako sighed, "but what exactly is this place?"

Iida glared at Izuku again, who put his hands up defensively. "You didn't tell her?"

Izuku looked nervous, which fit his face well. "I didn't know if All Might would want me to tell her."

"She's here and she'd confused, Midoriya, it isn't right to keep something this big a secret from her." Iida's voice seemed to always be a notch above an inside voice, Ochako noted.

"Anyway," Iida looked pointedly at Izuku again, who looked sheepish. "If you hadn't already guessed, we're monster hunters. We hunt the evil things that parents tell their kids stories about and make sure they can't hurt anyone else."

"Else?" Ochako echoed, and Iida nodded.

"Yes. We all come from troubled backgrounds, we all have stories. my reason for being here is the fact that something attacked my brother, leaving him paralyzed. And they said it was a bear attack, but those claw-marks, and the precision... that wasn't done by any animal."

"I'm so sorry," Ochako whispered, and Iida gave her a grateful smile.

"What is your organization named?" Ochako asked, and Iida considered her words.

"We call ourselves the Underground Assassins, or UA for short. It kind of goes with the fact that we take care of the creatures that you hear stories about as a kid," Izuku replied, receiving an irritated look from Iida at the interruption.

"Yes, Midoriya covered it. And now, I pose the question; after what you've witnessed, what do you want to do next?"

Ochako froze, blinking owlishly. She hadn't thought that far ahead. And she couldn't just go back to how she was living before, not with all she knew now. That monsters were real, and that the people who hunted them were pretty badass. She swallowed thickly, trying not to think about the crawler, or the burning mark on the back of her neck, or the frigid night when she'd jumped out that window and straight into a world she never knew was real.

"What are my options?" Ochako asked, not meeting the bespectacled male in the eye. Her blood thrummed in her veins as she felt Izuku squeeze her hand reassuringly. That only made the blood rush to her face.

"Well, you could go back to your life-"

"No, she can't," Izuku interjected, and Iida looked surprised.

"And why not?"

The green haired boy gave Ochako a gentle look, but his eyes were full of heartbreaking pity. "She was marked. By the crawler."

Iida was quiet for a long time. "I see."

Ochako shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"Then she needs protection. She's a walking magnet for creatures like the crawler, and she can't stay out in the open. She needs to stay here."

Ochako stood up, surprising all three of them. "I may have been marked by this... this _thing_ but I'm not going to be helpless. I want to learn how to fight them. I don't want to be afraid of them anymore."

Iida nodded in assent. "Reasonable. Let's have someone teach you to fight."

Ochako sat down again. "When?"

* * *

 _ **Okay, so I'm going to try and drive the plot with action instead of doing fillers with my writer's block mind. Thanks for the tips, everyone.**_

 _ **Stay tuned!**_

 _ **~Starry**_


	7. Combat Training

_**To be honest, I'm not really sure how to write this chapter, so bear with me. I'm gonna try my best!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia**_

* * *

Iida had brought Ochako's clothes over. Emptied her drawers, it seemed. He'd even folded each piece neatly in a suitcase Ochako didn't recognize. It was presumably Iida's own, gunmetal grey and shiny. It reminded Ochako a little of a car's paint. Her undergarments were also packed neatly, and Ochako felt herself heating up as she imagined Iida handling them. He'd even brought over a few stuffed animals and a comforter from her bed. A separate suitcase was packed with various pairs of shoes. A bag of jewelry was also included, much to Ochako's surprise.

Now equipped with clothes, Ochako got rid of the garments Ashido had given her, a bit wary of giving them back, as the pink demon scared her a little. She settled with folding them on the foot of her bed, rummaging through the packed suitcase. She withdrew a pair of white cotton shorts and a simple soft pink sweater, changing her underwear to something fresh as well. It felt nice to be in her own clothing, and Ochako sat on the bed, holding a stuffed teddy bear to her chest.

She spread the comforter over the existing one on the bed, smiling wanly at the reminder of home, and how she didn't know if she'd see it again.

Training. She was going to receive training. Would it be outdoors? Did these people have a training room? Ochako shifted her weight, tugging on the sleeve of her sweater. She pulled it off reluctantly, body recoiling at the loss of the soft warmth, and she tugged a t-shirt with a cat on it on instead. Not sure if she should cover up further, Ochako added a thin cardigan, buttoning it down her front. She could always change if she had to go outdoors.

Ochako padded her way downstairs to find Izuku waiting for her. He was dressed sort of busniess casually, much to Ochako's confusion, with dress pants, a white button down, and a waistcoat with a tie.

"Why are you dressed like that?" Ochako looked down at her own casual attire, wondering if she was dressed down too much.

"Oh. I usually wear this sort of thing when I go hunting, so I'm going to wear it while I train you."

Ochako blinked. "You're training me?"

"Yes, I am. Is that a problem?"

Ochako felt her face heat up. "No, no, it isn't a problem, not at all."

 _"Except that I'm spending God knows how long alone in a room with a guy I'm attracted to,"_ Ochako thought to herself.

But of course, some thoughts are better off remaining in your head, such as thoughts like this one.

After an awkward pause, Ochako bounced on her heels uncomfortably. "Should I change to something more like that?"

"This? No. This is just my preference. You can stay in that. But I would grab some shoes. Combat boots if you have them, sneakers if you don't."

Ochako turned away to go back to her room to retrieve the shoes. She found a pair of black combat boots, a little tight on the toe, but they would do. Ochako tucked her jeans into the boots for good measure before going back downstairs to join Izuku.

Izuku was gazing somewhere off in the distance when Ochako approached, and he jumped when she did. "Alright. You ready?"

Ochako nodded, but internally, she was a little afraid. She swallowed. Would she be learning hand-to-hand combat? Or learn to shoot a gun? Would the recoil hurt? Would _Izuku_ hurt if she sparred with him?

Izuku led the girl down into a finished basement. A couch and television were in the far corner, various comfy looking beanbag chairs littered around them. A lamp with several flower shaped shades stood in the corner, illuminating the room with soft light. A video game console and a couple controls sat beside the television. Artsy paintings covered the walls, and a writing desk sat in the other corner, the seat of the chair decorated with a fuzzy throw pillow. A powered down computer monitor and keyboard took up the majority of the desk, papers haphazardly sorted in the corner beside it.

The next room over was a gym. Exercise machines were arranged in neat rows and weight racks lined the walls. One large corner had been sectioned off by a bunch of of those foam puzzle pieces acting as a mat, and a wicker laundry basket full of padded equipment was tucked in the corner. Against the wall next to it was a sparring dummy that had seen some better days, some parts of it duck-taped back on. Izuku stopped at this section, reaching down to untie his shoes. Ochako followed suit before stepping onto the mat in her socks.

"We take off our shoes?"

"Yes," Izuku replied, shedding his waistcoat with his shoes, unceremoniously putting it on the sparring dummy like it was a mannequin. Ochako bit back a laugh.

"We don't want to damage the mats. Aizawa would kill me."

He rolled up his sleeves, and Ochako removed her cardigan. The room was semi-cold, and Ochako shivered at the sudden loss of the sweater warmed by her body heat.

"Fighting stance," Izuku said, and Ochako tried her best to get into one of those karate stances from television.

Izuku chuckled, hands wrapping around her wrists, placing them in front of her, guarding her stomach and chest.

"Feet apart, back stance."

She did as she was told.

"Now," Izuku came in front of her, standing with his arms at his sides. "Try and hit me."

Ochako tried to swing a punch, but the boy was far too quick, blocking with his forearm. His hands entrapped her outstretched arm, and with a shove, she lost her balance, toppling onto the mat. It hit her back hard, and the wind was knocked out of her.

Izuku cringed, kneeling down hurriedly. "Did I hurt you? Sorry if I was too rough."

Ochako sat up, the air rushing back into her lungs with each gulp. "No, no I'm fine," she wheezed, standing up.

"I'll try again."

She attempted a kick, but Izuku grabbed it, shoving her backwards.

"Try again, then," Izuku said, his voice amused, "try."

This series of events went on for some time. Ochako would take swings, and Izuku would block, sending her staggering to the side or tumbling onto the mat. Izuku was very physically strong, Ochako found. She wasn't in the physical condition he was, and she assumed spending time in the weight rooms might help with that.

But, despite her clumsy movements and inexperienced kicks, she was getting there. Her body began to get used to the blows Izuku delivered back, and she found her small size was good for dodging. Izuku grinned to himself when she sidestepped his attempt to do another takedown, and instead of punching, she attempted to kick him in the ribcage. He blocked, earning a frustrated grunt from his sparring partner. "Not bad," he said, "but you have a ways to go."

Izuku reached up to comb sweaty curls out of his eyes, other hand going to his hip. "Here's the thing. I will train you every day in hand to hand combat and firearms. Melee weapons will also come into play, some prefer daggers or hunting knives over pistols, though they are my personal preference. I'll teach you how to knife fight and shoot, everything you need to know to survive a hunt. We can't have you flying blind."

"Knife fights? Won't I cut you?" Ochako blinked, eyes wide.

Izuku laughed. "No, you won't. We're going to use training knives. No real ones until you're on an actual hunt."

That seemed logical. Ochako all of a sudden felt very slow. Of _course_ they would use training knives.

"But, we won't use that today. I'd rather teach you how to shoot. I'm better at it anyway."

Ochako followed Izuku into a room to the left, which contained something that had been plucked straight from a police station. Paper dummies hanging from tracks in the were arranged at various distances. A wall separated the shooting area from the rest of the room, the wall coming up to about midriff. A cabinet of pistols and other types of firearms was against the back wall, protective gear hanging on pegs beside it.

Izuku selected a glock, turning off the safety and looking at Ochako. He passed the weapon to his empty hand, gesturing for Ochako to stand beside him with the hand not occupied with the gun.

"Here," he said, handing her a pair of plastic earmuffs, "put these on."

He covered his own ears with a pair, and added a pair of protective goggles to his face. He handed a pair to Ochako, and she put them on.

"Watch," he said, and took a stance similar to the one he'd taken the night of the attack, squaring his feet to shoulder width apart, placing both hands on the gun.

He pulled the trigger several times, the sudden crack of noice startling Ochako. The paper in the dummy was torn with holes in the head, chest, and stomach. Perfect, precise shots. That type of control made Ochako feel self-conscious about her own nonexistent shooting skills, as she was sure Izuku would make her try next.

"Now, let's teach you how to hold this. I want you to open your dominant hand."

Ochako did as she was told, extending her right hand. Izuku's own fingers went between her index finger and thumb, spreading them farther to to expose the webbing between them.

"Give me your other hand." Izuku's voice was gentle as he spoke, and Ochako felt herself flush. Izuku placed the gun in her outstretched left hand, then brought her right hand to meet them. The web of her dominant hand met the handle.

"Now, with your thumb on one side of the handle, keep your middle, ring, and pinky fingers around the other side just below the trigger guard."

"The what?" Ochako said, gazing at the weapon in her hands.

Izuku tapped the strip of curved material that was just under the trigger, as the name implied, guarding it from being accidentally bumped. "Here."

Ochako wrapped her fingers the way he'd told her. Her hands were shaking as she looked at the glock. She could kill someone with this. It was heavy.

"Steady it with your non-dominant hand. Index finger on the bottom of the trigger guard or in front of it, wherever is the most comfortable."

Ochako tried to calm her nerves as she did this, swallowing thickly.

"Good. You're holding it correctly. Now you need to get into the proper shooting stance."

Izuku guided Ochako into the position he'd been in before. "Feet shoulder width apart, arms outstretched."

It felt a bit steadier standing like this. And she wasn't shooting at actual person, just paper, right?

"Now, aim. Line it up with your right eye. Good."

Izuku's hand on her shoulder made her jump, almost dropping the gun. "Hey, it's alright. You won't hurt anyone."

Ochako nodded quickly and sharply. "Yeah... I'm okay."

"Now squeeze the trigger."

The knock-back made Ochako stumble, and a loud _'bang'_ rang in Ochako's covered ears. The bullet had made a home in the paper dummy near the throat, which surprised Ochako at her own shot. Beginner's luck?

"Nice shot. Now take another one."

She did, this time tearing the paper shoulder.

"One more, you're doing great."

Ochako lined up the gun with the target, pulling the trigger and releasing it with a huff of breath. It hit the target again, but in the opposite shoulder. Ochako's breathing was slow as she concentrated. Izuku put a hand on her shoulder, and she lowered her arms.

"Good," Izuku said, "very good. You're a natural."

Ochako allowed him to take the weapon from her hand; soft clicks could be heard behind her as he unloaded the pistol.

Ochako's hands shook, but her heart was beating strong. She knew how to defend herself now. Mostly. Kind of. Or rather, she could fend off something potentially dangerous with ramshackle moves that she had yet to master.

Just then, the room filled with crackling sound, and a voice came to life. Ochako's eyes swiveled to the top corner of the room in search of the noise's source, and a bulky speaker was attached to the wall. The voice was low and bored, sounding like nothing exciting had ever happened in the speaker's life.

"Midoriya, are you down there? There's something I need you to take care of. Ghost, pretty aggressive. Iida told me about the girl. Take her, but be careful. If there's a scratch on her when you come back, you're gonna be sorry."

The speaker clicked off, and Izuku looked more nervous than usual.

"Who was that?" Ochako asked after a moment, and Izuku chewed his lower lip.

"Aizawa. He's one of the people who run this place. I have a mission, and apparently you're coming with me."

Ochako blinked. "Isn't that _dangerous?"_

"Very," he said, face puzzled, "I think Aizawa is testing me with this since I'm the one that brought you here."

Ochako blinked owlishly.

"But don't worry," Izuku's boyish face morphed into that of determination, "I won't let anything hurt you."

* * *

 _ **Prepare for the action in the next chapter! I've just gotten over my writer's block so I'm itching to write. I've also been in a play, so my schedule has been kind of tight unfortunately. Thanks for sticking with me, and I'll see you in the next chapter!**_

 _ **~Starry**_


	8. The Hunt

_**Okay so I made this into a Bakugou x reader over on Ao3 and that took its own direction. I've rewritten this chapter with that version to fit this version, and I'm really sorry this is so late. No, this story isn't on hiatus, I, the writer, just had a really strange case of selective writer's block. I could write the Bakugou version just fine, and am working on chapter 11 for that story right now simultaneously as I write this. But, for the goddamn life of me I couldn't think of how to work more with this.**_

 _ **So if this is sorta shitty, that's why. ^^; I'll try to pay more attention to this story; sorry for neglecting it.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia.**_

* * *

And then, as Ochako processed the command Izuku's superior had given him- and the fact that she was coming along- sank in. Could she handle that? After the crawler, something within the girl quivered at the thought of facing something else. Long slender claws glinted in her mind, causing her face to pale. Its grinning face was imprinted in her mind, and Ochako felt like cowering instead of fighting.

"Hey, you alright? You've zoned out."

Ochako snapped out of her thoughts, chewing her lip and not meeting the male's eyes.

"You're gonna need to change. Something dark and easy to move in, alright? I'll be waiting here, so come back when you're done."

Ochako swallowed, "this is easy to move in. Why does it have to be dark?"

"You'll be cold in that. Also, something thicker would be advised for safety reasons. Ghosts are dangerous and can hurt you, so wear like that."

Well, that didn't help Ochako feel better in the slightest. May as well add to the things that had been fueling her nightmares. "Lovely," she said, voice a little higher than normal.

Ochako shed her shirt and shorts when she got to her room with the door safely locked, throwing the sweaty clothes into the hamper in the adjacent bathroom. She didn't think she'd have time for a shower. She knew Izuku wasn't someone who would harp on her for taking too long, but she didn't want to make him wait by taking a shower. And with the cold, her hair would most likely freeze if she went outside with it wet.

Ochako dug out a pair of black jeans, which she slipped on, tucking them into her combat boots. A grey roll neck sweater was paired nicely, but if she had to fight, she might need to take it off, so Ochako put a black tank top on underneath. To her delight, Iida had folded her favorite bomber jacket into the suitcase. Ochako put it on. It smelled like home. A sickly feeling filled her stomach at the thought of home. The nest of crawlers, the one on her stairs. How she didn't know if she'd ever see it again. The mark on the back of her neck stung as a reminder of her grim circumstances.

"Stop, stop," the girl hissed, running a hand through her hair, "don't think about it."

She'd have even more nightmares if she thought about it. She wouldn't sleep if she had any more.

Ochako went back down to the basement where Izuku was preparing a utility belt, another one strapped to his waist. A pistol was strapped into a holster, accompanied by a small loop of chain and a bottle full of some cloudy liquid. Various other items were in other pockets. Izuku handed Ochako the belt, which she stared at for a few seconds.

His smile came softly, a chuckle accompanying it.

"Here, these are your supplies. Put this belt on, okay?"

She sighed, pressing a hand to her chest. "Yeah, sorry, I guess I'm just a little jumpy."

Izuku was a few inches taller than her, so when he stepped forward to put his hands on her shoulders, Ochako had to look up to see his face.

"That's alright. It would be strange not to be jumpy, frankly. You've been doing really well, so I know you can handle this. But like I said, I won't let anything bad happen to you. Do you trust me?"

Ochako paused, swallowing. "Yes," she finally said, and Izuku smiled.

"Good. You can count on me to protect you."

Ochako had never seen a ghost. As a child, she'd imagined them as sheets with holes for eyes, and as she got older, she began to imagine them as semi-transparent figures with various bloody disfigurements that inhabited old, crumbling houses.

But Izuku had told her that the myths only told you half the story, so Ochako didn't quite know what to expect.

She did know, however, that his music taste wasn't entirely unpleasant. Izuku listened to alternative rock and softer songs, something that seemed to match him well. Ochako relaxed back into her seat.

There was a word for boys like him. He was (somewhat) a pretty boy, though his personality didn't match the traditional suave and smooth-talking stereotype that often was thought to accompany looks like his. Izuku was timid, he stumbled over his words, and his face was rather plain. The freckles were nice, though, Ochako thought.

"Do I have something on my face?" Izuku asked, glancing in the rear-view mirror, and Ochako tore her eyes away when she realized she'd been staring.

"No, nothing, you're fine," she said.

Instead of at him, Ochako opted to stare out the window, but that didn't stop her thoughts from wandering. She had yet to see Izuku without a shirt on, but the thought of it was a pleasing mental picture. A rush of heat traveled down her body, face inadvertently turning pink. She folded the collar of her coat up to hide the pink hue that dusted her cheeks. It was hard to deny that Ochako was attracted to him.

She was in too deep and she didn't have plans to try and get out. He was intoxicating and she was slipping under.

The house that corresponded with the address Aizawa had given was nothing like Ochako expected. It was well kept with cheerful white paint and forest green shutters and doors. It was a moderately sized home with a spacious wraparound porch, wicker chairs and tables decorating it. Izuku killed the engine before stepping out of the car, Ochako following him. He approached the house, ringing the doorbell, and Ochako stood beside him, shifting her weight from foot to foot.

A woman came to the door. She looked incredibly tired, bags under her eyes, which had taken a glassy sheen. Her left arm had a bandage wrapped around it, and she held it to her chest in a protective and meek manner. Her dark hair was unkempt around her face and shoulders. Something about her hunched posture made Ochako feel like she would bolt at the slightest sudden noise. \

"Are you UA?"

"Yes, ma'am," Izuku said, offering a hand to shake, "I'm Midoriya, and this is Uraraka. We're here to get rid of the the ghost."

Tears gathered in her eyes, and the woman rushed forward and took Izuku's outstretched hand, the quick movement surprising him, and he jumped at the sudden contact. The woman either didn't care or didn't notice as she tightened her grip.

"Oh, thank you. My daughter and husband are at my mother's house, so once you go in I'll be going to join them. Thank you, thank you so much. I didn't know if that number I found would work, but I'm so glad it did. Please, give my family and my home back to us."

Izuku's chuckled awkwardly, "We'll do our best, Mrs... er... what's your name?"

"Kitamura. Mei Kitamura."

"Mrs. Kitamura, where is the most activity?"

"The basement and the bathroom."

Ochako cut in, giving Izuku a side glance, and he let out a sigh. "You can leave it to us, Mrs. Kitamura. Now go join your husband and daughter."

The woman briefly disappeared inside before coming back out with a black peacoat on, giving one more expression of gratitude before hurrying to a small red car, giving the house one last fearful look before driving off.

"Not fond of social interactions?" Ochako inquired, and Izuku shrugged.

"No, it isn't that, she just grabbed me pretty suddenly," he sighed, offering a sheepish smile, "let's just head inside, alright?"

The house's interior was as well kept as the exterior, but the second Ochako crossed the threshold, something felt... off. It was warmer than outside, but a chill remained, permeating Ochako's coat.

"Do you feel that?" Ochako remarked, and Izuku nodded.

"Uh-huh, cold like this usually comes with ghosts."

Ochako's coat collar remained flipped up from the car, and she was thankful for this, pulling it higher so it covered her ears. Even with Izuku with her, Ochako felt like someone was watching her. It wasn't pleasant.

The house was neat, something that looked like it was straight out of a furniture catalog. White couches in the living room to the right through a wide archway, the staircase to the left, a smooth wood banister supported by clean white balusters curling along the outermost side. A small end table was across from the entryway, a bowl of potpourri situated on top. A professionally taken photo of the family hung above it. There was a closed door to the left of the table, presumably the bathroom, and the door to the right stood open, revealing a tidy kitchen. They must have cleaned before leaving for the mother's house.

As Ochako stepped closer to examine the photograph, she noticed it had been taken in the living room, the only major difference being the throw pillows, which in the photo were different than the ones currently on the couches. A little brunette girl with a hime haircut sat on a tall slim man's knee and the woman who sat beside them was the one they'd seen before, but her hair was tied back neatly, and she was dressed in a blue dress and white cardigan. The girl wore a uniform, presumably the one belonging to the elementary school she went to. The man wore a brown suit. They all had wide smiles on their faces, a picture perfect looking family. The kanji on the small plaque on the bottom of the frame read "The Kitamura Family."

But the more Ochako looked, the more her eyes were drawn to a spot in the upper right-hand corner. What looked like a woman's face was peeking halfway into the picture, but it was unfocused as if someone had spilled water on that spot and not bothered to wipe it away, allowing it to damage the photo. From what Ochako could see, she had long black hair. Maybe that was their ghost?

Izuku moved to stand beside her, studying the photo.

"I see something there," Ochako said, finger going to rest on the blurry face in the corner. Izuku looked at it for a few seconds.

"Yeah, it isn't uncommon for ghosts to be captured in pictures. That's probably it." He turned to busy himself with his belt.

The girl stepped closer to Izuku, who looked down at her briefly with a smile. He reached to his belt, withdrawing a small black box that reminded Ochako of a remote control. He switched it on, the screen blinking to life. It had something like a speedometer on it, the little red hand flickering slightly.

"We need to take some readings. It's dangerous, so you need to stick close to me."

No arguments there.

"So," Ochako started after they began walking, "What is that?"

"This is an EMF recorder. It picks up electromagnetic frequencies."

He handed it to Ochako. "Tell me if this goes out of the little green spot, got it?"

"Yeah. Got it."

Izuku briefly explained what the EVP was, as well as the spirit box, which they would use in the locations mentioned by Mrs. Kitamura.

"Let's start in the basement. Watch the EMF."

"Why do I have a gun?"

Izuku chuckled, "You don't. You have a salt gun. Regular bullets won't work on a ghost."

"No, I suppose not."

"They can hurt you, but you can't hurt them with just anything. It would be a waste of bullets to unload at a ghost."

They walked through the kitchen and Izuku opened the door in the back corner to reveal a flight of stairs. Darkness painted the walls as the stairs descended, something magnetic tugging at Ochako's mind as she gazed into the shadows. She heard a soft click behind her as Izuku's flashlight came on, illuminating the steps with an orb of light, the shadows receding to accommodate it.

"Go on, I'm right behind you," he said gently, and Ochako swallowed her fear before descending the staircase, the darkness swallowing her whole.

The staircase took a sharp turn, and Ochako almost slammed face-first into a shelving unit pressed against the wall of the landing. Izuku reached out, his arm coming around Ochako's midriff and stopping her in her tracks.

"Careful, or you'll hurt yourself," his lowered voice hissed in her ear, making blood rush to color her cheeks. Thankfully, it was dark, and if it wasn't, Ochako was certain her life would end. She stood for a moment before walking forward again, her fingers going to the spot Izuku's arm had been a few seconds before.

Despite having someone not two feet behind her, Ochako felt completely alone as she descended the rest of the stairs, her feet meeting a concrete floor. She shone her flashlight about the room, the light glinting off of jars of jam and other objects stored on the various wooden shelves in the room. It was freezing in there, Ochako noted. She glanced at the EMF. It had gone into the yellow.

"Izuku, it's yellow now."

"Good. That means we're close."

"To what?" She shone her flashlight in Izuku's direction, and he smiled, but it looked unnervingly ominous in the low light.

"It."

That wasn't comforting.

The basement was made up of multiple rooms, the doorways without actual doors, but there were rusted hinges left behind. Ochako looked into one of the rooms, only to see a laundry room. A rack of clothes hung from the ceiling, and a laundry basket sat on top of the drier. Nothing interesting, but the EMF's reading didn't change. The next room just looked like a storage room, boxes stacked along the walls. The next was a boiler room. There was also a hallway that led to a set of stairs, leading into the back yard. Ochako marked it mentally as a possible escape route.

When she turned around, Ochako saw Izuku sitting on the floor, fiddling with a box, the one he'd referred to earlier as the spirit box. He had given a brief explanation as to how it worked, that being that the spirit box changes between AM and FM radio frequencies, producing white noise that is easier for a spirit to manipulate.

"There's nothing of note in those rooms," Ochako said, and Izuku nodded absently, focused on the device in his hands.

It switched on with a burst of sound, that, as expected, sounded like someone was rapidly switching between radio stations, the noise being produced akin to many sudden bursts of static in rapid succession. Izuku stared at Ochako for a moment before patting the floor beside him.

"Sit down, we have to get this done quickly."

She swallowed her fear, sinking to the floor beside him.

Izuku cleared his throat, cracking his knuckles. "Is there anyone in this room with us?"

The static remained undisturbed, and Izuku repeated his question. The static seemed to grow quieter, and Ochako could hear a quiet murmur.

"Was that something?" Ochako hissed, and Izuku gave her a sideways glance.

"Quiet," he hissed.

"We couldn't hear you, say that again?"

There, in a grainy whisper, was a voice. It was female, from what Ochako could hear.

"Leave," it said, and Izuku clicked his tongue.

"Yeah, we can't do that. But if we tell you why you're here, will you tell us why you're here?"

"Trapped."

Before Izuku could say anything else, Ochako spoke up. "We're here to help you."

Somewhere in the house, the quiet dripping of water could be heard. From the way Izuku looked at the ceiling, Ochako knew he heard it too. It was a slow drip, each dull chime a few seconds apart.

"Help... help..."

Ochako smiled, "yeah, that's right, help."

The dripping of water had sped up, pattering softly, and Izuku looked at Ochako with highly skeptical eyes.

"Can't... help..."

"Izuku?" Ochako whispered, and he looked at her.

"Do you think that dripping could be coming from the bathroom?"

A choking sob came from the spirit box, followed by soft pleas. "Not safe," said the voice, "run, run...!"

A chill went down Ochako's spine.

"From that response, the bathroom is worth a shot," Izuku said under his breath. He scooped up the spirit box, making a b-line for the stairs back up to the kitchen, and Ochako followed him quickly; the prospect of being left alone in a haunted basement was not exactly a concept she was thrilled about.

The dripping didn't get much louder as they ascended the staircase, and the voice on the spirit box repeated the same warnings, only growing more frantic as they drew closer to the closed door of the bathroom. Izuku opened the door, and as he did, the voice rose into a scream, a wail of anguish and pain, and Ochako clapped her hands over her ears to try and drown out the sound. But as they looked into the bathroom, even as the screaming continued, there was nothing but a sink, a toilet with a fuzzy cover on the lid, an empty tub, and the faint smell of lemon cleaner. The screams decrescendoed into sobs, the static overlaying them every so often. But there was nothing.

Ochako stepped into the bathroom, turning the knob on the sink, and clean water flowed out. She switched it off and turned to the bathtub.

And even though it had been empty before, it was full of water now. And the faucet was dripping at a brisk pace, the water thrumming against the surface of the water already in the tub in a steady stream. If it went any further, the tub would overflow. Ochako hurriedly reached to the tap to turn the water off, but it was stuck, almost as if someone or something was pulling it in the opposite direction.

The drain.

Ochako looked at Izuku, then back at the tub before removing her jacket and rolling up her sweater sleeves. The water was beginning to trickle over the edge, pooling on the ground rapidly, puddles forming around Ochako's boots.

"Don't!" Izuku cried, "that's dangerous, don't stick your hand in the water."

When Ochako looked back down at the tub, a woman's face was there, floating to the surface, her body extending the length of the tub. Her hair was long and black, and it plumed around her head like a puddle of ink. The white nightgown she wore was soaked, and vague details of her breasts showed through, the cloth clinging to her body. A ring was on one hand, the ring finger of the left one. Her neatly trimmed fingernails were painted pink. She was beautiful, with plump lips and a slim face.

But her eyes. Her eyes had no pupil. They were all sclera, the white consuming and covering where the iris and pupil should have been. And they were wide open, staring with no focus, and as Ochako stumbled back, her body colliding with Izuku's, the floating woman's mouth stretched open, an unnaturally wide, yawning shape, and she began to scream. It was a terrified, bloodcurdling scream. One that came from a person who knew they were going to die.

"What do we do?" Ochako cried, and Izuku attempted put a hand out, gesturing for her to get behind him as the woman rose from the tub, rivulets of water pattering against the floor, but Ochako steeled her nerves and didn't move.

"I wanna protect myself for once," she shouted.

She drew the pistol full of the salt pellets that Izuku had given her, and she gripped it the way he'd taught her and fired. The pellet whizzed through the air, making thudding contact with the hovering figure, and it jolted back, howling in rage and pain. Ochako fired again, and again, and the figure fell to the ground. A luminescent sort of ooze came from the tears the bullets had formed in the apparition, which was otherwise solid, save for the knees to the tips of the toes, which faded into transparency. Izuku yanked a small doll with pure white eyes from a pouch in his belt, and with a splash of the cloudy liquid in the bottle at his belt, the ghost gave one lash shriek before it faded and finally blinked out of view.

And everything was still.

The water was gone, and there was no trace of wetness, other than on Ochako's pants from when she was standing by the tub. The bathtub was dry as if no water had ever been at all.

"What did you do?" Ochako asked, and Izuku studied the doll. The previously white eyes were now pitch black.

"I exorcized it," he panted, and Ochako realized she was panting, too.

"So it's in the doll now?"

"Yeah, that's why the eyes are black. We gotta burn it when we go back. It sets the spirit free to go... wherever it they go."

He put a hand on her shoulder, and when Ochako looked at it, she noticed that it was covered in scars, roughly sewing over the skin in jagged patterns. But his hand was warm, so she wasn't complaining. "You did good back there. You're gonna be shooting like a pro in no time. Just be careful until you're a solid hunter, okay?"

"A... solid hunter?"

"Uh-huh. You... it isn't safe to go back to your house until we know more about that mark. You have to stay with us."

Strangely, Ochako was fine with that.

"Now," Izuku put the doll into the pouch on his belt it had come from, folding his hands together, "let's get back to the car. I need to call our client."

Izuku warmed up the car after starting it, and they drove off, leaving the house with the dripping ghost behind in the rear-view mirror. Ochako knew he was right. She did need to be careful. She didn't know anything about this world and the things that were found in it. And she knew he'd taken it upon himself to teach her.

She let her eyes drift closed as he dialed the client's number, falling into a light doze.


End file.
